Your Words Are Showing: What Leadership Language Says About You
How small word choices quietly build (or break) the culture you lead
What if the most powerful thing you do as a leader… is something you barely think about?
In Episode 10 of Leadership Explored, we’re diving into a leadership tool that gets overlooked all the time—language. The metaphors, pronouns, and habitual phrases you use aren’t just about communication. They’re shaping trust, alignment, and the culture your team lives in every day.
🎧 Listen now: www.leadershipexploredpod.com
Why Language Is Leadership
Leadership isn’t just your values—it’s how those values show up in the day-to-day. And nothing reveals that more than the language you use.
Whether you’re saying “we’re a family,” “you need to fix this,” or “just ping them real quick,” you’re sending signals. Signals about what matters, what’s expected, and who belongs.
And the scary part?
Most leaders don’t realize they’re doing it.
In This Episode, We Explore:
🟢 Why polished corporate speak often backfires
🟢 How metaphors (like war vs. gardening) shape your team's mindset
🟢 The power dynamics hidden in “we,” “you,” and “I”
🟢 How repeated phrases quietly reinforce (or erode) culture
🟢 What to do when your words and behaviors don’t align
We share real-world examples from our own careers, reflect on phrases we’ve had to unlearn, and give practical ways to become more intentional about the words you choose—and what they’re building.
Key Quotes
“Once people stop trusting what you say, they’ll stop engaging with what you mean.” – Ed
“Pronouns are a leadership tell. If you say ‘we’ when things go wrong and ‘I’ when things go right, you're flipping the script on trust.” – Andy
“Intent doesn’t create change—mechanisms do. If your actions don’t match your words, your message becomes meaningless.” – Andy
Final Thought: The Words We Live By
Culture isn’t something you announce. It’s something you reinforce, over time, often without realizing it.
If you want to lead with clarity and purpose, start with the words you use every day—especially the ones you don’t think about.
So here’s our challenge to you:
Look at your go-to phrases, the way you give feedback, your meeting language.
Ask yourself—what culture are my words creating?
Then:
Keep what aligns. Change what doesn’t. And keep leading with purpose.
🎙️ Leadership Explored Ep 10 is streaming now on Apple, Spotify, Audible, and www.leadershipexploredpod.com
If you find the episode valuable, share it with another leader who gets it.